1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to an improved method and system for providing an interface between a user and a data processing system, and in particular to a method and system for processing and relocating selectable graphical objects in a graphical user interface environment. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method and system for relocating selectable graphical objects to provide an optimal arrangement facilitating efficient user interaction with the data processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, data processing system graphical user interfaces have become increasingly popular. In a graphical user interface, selectable graphical objects, such as file cabinets, folders, documents, and printers, are displayed on the data processing system screen, in an area called the "workplace," as miniature graphic representations or icons. Users may manipulate these selectable graphical objects in ways which are similar to the manner in which such analogous objects are manipulated in the workplace. The selectable graphical objects may be manipulated with a mouse or other graphical pointing device to perform desired operations. Such operations may include accessing data files, storing or copying a data file on a disk drive, starting an application program, deleting an application program or data file from a disk drive, or moving any selectable graphical object to a different location.
One reason for the popularity of graphical user interfaces is that many users find that graphical user interfaces are intuitive and easy to utilize. This is because users may access data in data files and run application programs by interacting with (i.e., "pointing" and "clicking" on) selectable graphical objects displayed within the display screen which are associated with such data files and application programs. However, as the number of files stored within a data processing system increases, graphical user interfaces may become cluttered with icons which are either infrequently utilized or never utilized. Some of these icons are associated with data files or application programs stored for archival purposes. Consequently, a user may have hundreds of files stored within a data processing system, each having an associated icon, and the user may access only a small number of these files on a daily basis. In order to access a data file, a user may be required to view and manipulate numerous icons before finding a desired icon, and accessing the associated data file.
Some icons in a graphical user interface environment represent files created by an application which a user may rarely access, such as, for example, a "settings" file, or a temporary file created for the benefit of an application program, or a file that stores information that is only useful to an application program. When a user is looking for a desired data file, such rarely accessed files clutter the graphic user interface environment and distract the user. These icons should remain visible, either on the desktop or revealed by a window, so that such files may be moved or removed from the data processing system. While such files may be associated with a selectable graphical object which facilitates moving or removing such a file, such selectable graphical objects occupy workplace and window area without enhancing a users ability to interface with the data processing system in a typical, daily operation.
Thus, it should be apparent that a need exists for a method and system which enables a data processing system user to more efficiently locate and access application and data files represented by selectable graphical objects within a graphical user interface environment.